trike-ab-trike-2019

2019 mileage: 3361.7 After taking Sunday as a rest day (a frequent occurrence), I then needed to take yesterday as a rest day, too, due to a perfect storm of reasons. To start with, it was a relatively busy day, with numerous errands to address. And then physically, my feet were hurting me considerably. Even worse, though, I was so sleepy that I was almost falling asleep on my feet. At any rate, today I was glad to get back on it, and rode another round trip to Baker Rd. But I was plagued by an equipment malfunction. Just before I reached Baker Rd., to turn around and start back toward home, by phone went dead. This would be no surprise during a long ride such as this, were it not for the fact that I had it plugged into my auxiliary battery, and had checked it before starting to make sure it was working and charging. I could tell  it had gone dead, though, because the music I was hearing on Spotify abruptly stopped, and then when I stopped to check in out, the phone was completely

2019 mileage: 3341.7 When I left for my ride just before 8:00 this morning, I intended to ride the big loop over to and around St. Joseph Mercy Hospital (roughly 28 miles). However, it didn't take long to determine that I'll either have to wait on that long a ride until next spring, or else dress more appropriately. It was 38° when I began (though up to a toasty 41° at ride's end), and although my torso was OK (clad in a fleece over a hoodie), my extremities were quite cold. I need to trade in my cotton socks for heavier wool ones, and break out my heavier, quilted winter gloves - which are warmer, but considerably less comfortable, than the cloth ones I wore today (pictured below). So, instead of that longer loop, I rode the Platt-Packard Square (which I also rode yesterday), giving me 13.9 miles in 1:45. As I was finishing up, I passed a sign that I hadn't noticed before, which reminded me of my wife and daughter, as Michelle and Christy both work at Emerso

2019 mileage: 3327.8 Today I bucked my usual preference of a morning ride, and left at 3:30 instead (by which time it had heated up to 48°, a temperature that remained constant throughout my ride). I did the Platt-Packard Square, a 13.8-mile route, in 1:35.

2019 mileage: 3314.0 Today I wanted to and fully intended to ride my 20-mile round trip to Baker Rd. But an unforeseen complication vexed me. When I got ready to go, my phone was only at about 70% battery charge, which is considerably too low to make that ride unassisted. So then I plugged in my auxiliary battery for is, which I carry clipped to my belt loop during long rides. However, it did not charge. I then realized the problem was either with the battery itself, or with the cable. So when I went out to the garage to get my trike, I stopped at the car and retrieved our other cable (which we usually leave plugged into the car.) This cable did not work either, though, so I figured I'd better limit myself to a more modes ride, and, accordingly, just did a round trip to Marsh Park (10.2 miles, in 1:12). It's cooling right down, too. I rode in good fallish conditions - when I started, at 9:45, it was only 44° (up to a toasty 47°, however, by the time I finished) MUCH col

2019 mileage: 3303.8 I took Sunday off, and then was forced to take yesterday off because I delayed in the morning, and then rain moved in by the time I was ready to ride. So today, getting back into the routine, I rode a round trip to Baker Rd. (getting 19.0 miles in 2:28, as I shortened the ride slightly by coming south on Maple Rd. from Westgate). Today had its own weather challenges, however. When I began, at 9:45, it was quite sunny, and  49°. But clouds moved in steadily, and I battled a healthy wind throughout (about 20 mph from the southwest). I was tempted to describe it as a "ferocious" wind, but on reflection, I think it fell just shy of that. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2019 mileage: 3284.8 Did a modest ride today on a glorious fall morning. I left at 8:15 and rode a round trip down to the northern fringe of Saline (Woodland Dr. and Ann Arbor-Saline Rd.), for 11.4 miles in 1:25. It was brilliantly sunny, though a bit cool (36° when I began, up to 42° when I finished), making me very glad for my gloves. The changing colors are really spectacular right now, but I noticed them only minimally, as I tend to focus pretty intently on my ride and shut out most everything else. It's disappointing to me that I have just done my 100th outdoor ride of the year on 2019's 292nd day -- I like to think of myself as riding about 6 days/week, but clearly THAT is not happening!😎 Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2019 mileage: 3273.4 This has been an awfully lightweight week for riding. After taking a rest day last Sunday, I was really exhausted on Monday and so gave myself that day off, too. Then, after doing a good ride on Tuesday, weather forced me in to LA Fitness on Wednesday, and then yesterday I allowed the cold, wind, and gloom to give me still another day off. Today  I made the wise choice to wait and do a later ride instead of the early morning one I had planned. When I was waiting for the bus at 7:30, in the still dark, it was a chilly 35°. So, I waited until 12:15 to start, by which point it was sunny and 49° (up to 54° when I finished),  I rode the Platt-Packard square, doing 13.9 miles in 1:45. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2019 mileage: 3239.5 BEAUTIFUL fall day today for a ride! I enjoyed bright sunshine throughout, and when I began, at 9:30, it was 41°, making my gloves feel good ... but I sure didn't need them by the end, when it was up to 59° I rode another round trip to Baker Rd., clocking 20.2 miles in 2:43. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2019 mileage: 3219.3 Funky weather yesterday (lots of rain) sent me to LA Fitness, so I was glad to be able to ride outside again today. Leaving at 7:45, I rode a loop around St. Joe Hospital for the first time since September 6 (a few days before my surgery). However, on the way home I cut myself a little slack, trimming about 5 miles off the total ride. As I was headed west along Packard, instead of turning south along Platt and going down to Textile to come in past Marsh Park (the way I went out earlier in the morning), instead I kept going on Packard and then Eisenhower all the way to Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. and then home. This gave me a ride of 22.3 miles, which I did in a slow time of 3:02. I experienced a BIG weather change from earlier in the week, when I was able to ride in shorts as recently as a couple of days ago. However, the 37° reading when I began this morning made both my gloves and my long pants feel most welcome. However, those pants suffered damage. The p

2019 mileage: 382.05 Our weather is about to change in a big way, with rain moving in tomorrow afternoon, and then a forecast high of only 51° on Saturday and 59° on Sunday. So I felt it was imperative that I take advantage of today's spectacular weather—when I began riding, just past 12:30, it was 67° and brilliantly sunny, climbing to 70° by the time I finished. My need for and desire for variety in my rides is exceptionally low. However, today I was feeling that desire to an atypical degree, so I did a ride I've only done very few times -- south into the northern fringe of Saline (all on paths and walks, of course) along Woodland Drive, and then turning on Industrial, following it till it meets with Campus Drive to loop around Saline High School before returning home. This gave me a modest ride of only 10.5 miles in 1:19, but a lovelier day for it could not be imagined. This picture shows the mildly daunting hill I have to climb shortly before returning home, alongside

2019 mileage: 3171.5 Today brought with it a change of plans. I had hoped to do a fairly long ride this morning in order to take advantage of our brilliant sunshine and warm weather, and was considering doing a loop around St. Joseph Hospital (25+ miles). But then, after practicing piano to begin the day, I found myself really bogging down, having been up since shortly after 4 a.m. (I did, however, in those early hours, get some very good work done on a big choral piece I'm composing— Exsultate Justi  (Rejoice in the Lord), with Latin text and brass octet accompaniment.) At any rate, I ended up crawling in bed for a midday nap, and then doing a shorter ride following that. I rode the Platt-Packard square, a 13.9-mile route, relatively slowly (1:47) When I left, just before 1:00, it was 67°, and that climbed all the way to 68° by the time I was done. As I rode on the Lohr-Testile Greenway (both the older portion of it, nearer our home, and the new part extending east to Platt

2019 mileage: 3157.6 After taking Sunday off, and then yesterday too (in order to do some Finale work that a friend had contracted me to do, as well as some composing), I was especially glad to get back out today, and rode another round trip to Baker Rd. Leaving just before 10:30 (when it was 57°, climbing to 67° by the end), I rode 20.2 miles in 2:40 on another lovely fall day—brilliantly sunny, and a most tolerable temperature.

2019 mileage: 3137.4 Fall continues to come inexorably onward. I rode early today in order to get it done before the activity picked up too much in advance of today's noon Michigan football game against Iowa. When I rode by Pioneer High School on the way out, just before 8:00, fans were already beginning to congregate to tailgate, and on the way home, when I passed there at 10:00, there were a LOT more people -- in fact, on a couple of short stretches, I had to leave the path and ride in the bike lane of the road. Today's sunrise was at 7:36, so I began my ride at 7:30, and it was 47° I chose to wear my gloves for the first time since last winter. Now, I could have gotten by without them, but they certainly made my hands more comfortable. And I figured my maize-and-blue gloves would help to identify me to fellow fans (more than once, I rode by someone and exchanged a fist pump and a hearty "GO BLUE!"). They also helped to offset the black and gold color of my St.

2019 mileage: 3117.3 This morning, after dropping Michelle off at school, and then going to church to practice piano, I  came home and sat in my chair for a while, and the longer I sat, the more desperately I did NOT want to ride today. But eventually, somehow I managed to scrounge up the gumption for it, and in retrospect I'm over so glad I did. It was a lovely fall day for a ride—partly sunny, and 55° (so that a hoodie felt just right), and I rode another round trip to Baker Rd., going 19.4 miles in 2:36. (I trimmed just a little bit off my full 20-mile route by a slight shortcut on the way home.)  Also, I crossed over another mileage milestone today -- 3100 for the year -- th e first one  in what seems like FOREVER. I exceeded 3000 on my last ride before my September 11 surgery (on September 9)

2019 mileage: 3097.9 Today I replicated yesterday's route, except that I went in the other direction—yesterday clockwise, today counterclockwise. I actually started out intending to ride the big 28-mile loop around St. Joseph Hospital again today. But a combination of factors persuaded me to change plans a few miles out. (1) I was feeling well sub-optimal physically. (2) I wanted to use the big chunk of time for other, music-related, pursuits. (3) The conditions were quite unpleasant. Last night we got quite a bit of rain. Though very little new rain fell during my ride—just some light rain that turned my glasses into prisms—the ground remained soaked, with numerous puddles. And the humidity in the air was exceptionally high. Combined with the temperature in the mid- to upper-fifties, and the solid cloud cover, I was very happy to be wearing a hoodie (though my legs were quite comfortable in shorts). Anyway, this gave me another ride of 13.8 miles, in a slightly quicker ti

2019 mileage: 3084.1 Last night, the forecast on weather.com looked as I was going to have to go work out at LA Fitness today. But by this morning, it had changed sufficiently to look as if I could slip in a ride this morning before the showers began around noon. Accordingly, I did quite a modest ride -- a 13.8-mile circuit that I call the Packard-Platt square (in 1:49). I go north along Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. to Eisenhower, then east beside Eisenhower and Packard over to Platt, south to Textile, and then in along the new extension of the trail past Marsh Park and back home. At that, I experienced a few light, intermittent showers, but they were quite few and not at all forbidding. And my video is almost accurate, but slightly askew at the end, as the battery ran out a couple of miles from home, clipping off the last portion of the ride. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2019 mileage: 3070.3 Michigan weather! Yesterday was too cool to ride comfortably, and today I needed to be sure and get my ride done early, because this afternoon (October 1!) was to reach the mid-eighties with high humidity  So I rode at 9:00 a.m.—late by June standards, but relatively early for this time of year. Continuing to rebuild my stamina following my September 11 surgery, I rode a round trip to Baker Rd. today for the first time since September 3. (However, I did a slightly shorter route than my usual one past 'The Big House' (Michigan Stadium), and ended up with 18.5 miles in 2:21, rather than my usual 20 miles. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride